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More than one-fourth of all retirement assets in the U.S. are now held in individual retirement accounts, up from 17% two decades ago, according to a study by the Investment Company Institute. IRA assets totaled $5.7 trillion at the end of this year's second quarter.

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This year, wealthy investors are expected to roll 401(k) assets worth $380 billion into individual retirement accounts, according to data from Cogent Reports. The marketing of IRAs may be influenced by the revised fiduciary rule currently being drafted by the Department of Labor, industry experts say.

A couple in their mid-70s asked adviser Tom Sedoric for help to lighten the income tax they were required to pay on withdrawals from their traditional IRA. Austin Kilham writes that Sedoric was able to take advantage of their residence in a continuing-care retirement community to lower their tax rate and enable them to convert their savings to a Roth IRA.

Rollovers from previous retirement plans are relatively common among U.S. individual retirement accounts, the Investment Company Institute says. IRAs held more than 25% of U.S. retirement market assets as of June 30, ICI says, and rollovers were seen as a factor in their growth.

A TIAA-CREF survey found 56% of women said they think their retirement savings are adequate, while 65% of men said the same. About half of the women in the survey also said they think financial advice would be too expensive and therefore have not received it, while one-third said they lack the time to seek financial advice.

More than one-fourth of all retirement assets in the U.S. are held in individual retirement accounts, up from 17% two decades ago, according to a study by the Investment Company Institute. IRA assets totaled $5.7 trillion at the end of this year's second quarter.